Third Time's The Charm
by fleurdelisee
Summary: Learning about how Kurt once force-fed grass to Blaine will make them laugh and then realise that, perhaps, they were meant to be from the start.


The first time Kurt and Blaine meet arguably doesn't count.

There was nothing remarkable about the summer of 1995. For most people, it was just another summer, one that would not leave any clear memories when they looked back on it. _Die Hard With a Vengeance_, _Apollo 13_ and _Waterworld_ were dominating the box-office, and parents were pleaded by their children to go see _Pocahontas_. The airwaves were filled with songs that, apart from a few exceptions – sadly including _Macarena_ – have long been forgotten now. For most people, this summer would be just like the pop culture of the moment; it would leave a faint memory in their minds, with a smirk here and there when a particular event – a nice evening out with friends, perhaps – is remembered; or when someone ironically plays _Gangsta's Paradise_for old time's sake.

For the Andersons and the Hummels, on the other hand, it was a summer of first times; one they would remember all their life. First time their toddler was in a swimming pool, the floaters twice as big as their head and their fragile skin covered in a thick layer of sunblock, a colourful cotton hat perched on top of, well, in Blaine's case, an already impressive quantity of curls. First ice cream cone, shared with their smiling mother. First time playing in the grass with their dad, discovering everything the world has to offer and giving headaches to the young parents who never thought the natural instinct of a not-quite-yet one year old was to shove a worm down his throat.

Then again, it wouldn't be of importance if it weren't for one afternoon in particular.

The Andersons were visiting Mrs. Anderson's mother in Lima, spending the afternoon there and staying over for dinner like they had done so many times in the past. Next door, the Hummels were doing the same at Mrs. Hummel's parents, and if it hadn't been for them running out of sugar for the pie she was making, our two boys would have never met. They did, however, and this is how the Hummels were invited to join the Andersons for a few drinks.

The toddlers were placed on a blanket in the backyard, kept under the watchful eye of two sets of parents, a few toys scattered around them. This is where the 'arguable' part of the meeting comes in. One could say that it does count, but chances are they had no clue what was going on, except that someone was trying to take the toy they wanted _in that very moment _and they didn't like that person very much.

Kurt was only three months older than Blaine and it wouldn't matter in their future encounters, but it could not have been more obvious during that afternoon. While Blaine was still crawling around on his belly, Kurt proudly moved around on all-fours, risking standing up when he had furniture to hold onto.

The proud parents were already discussing other meetings in the future when their plans met an abrupt end: Kurt was feeding Blaine grass and dirt, the other toddler looking torn between amusement and a strong desire to burst into tears. To say the Andersons resented the Hummels for what their son did to Blaine would be an exaggeration, but it did make them less eager to let that kid near theirs anytime soon.

* * *

><p>The first time Blaine and Kurt really meet is not during a good period of Kurt's life.<p>

_Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ is going to be released in the fall and already Blaine is counting the days until he can see the movie. He's seven and he feels pretty darn good about life, especially that day because his grandmother promised she would take him to go see _Monsters Inc._and that is really going to make spending the weekend at her house better.

Blaine is sitting on the backseat of his parents' car and staring out the window, his Destiny's Child record – his father had frowned when his aunt gave him that but he said nothing – playing in his discman. His birthday was pretty sweet that year, even if there weren't a lot of friends there. He doesn't have a lot of friends but he doesn't really mind. It makes recess a bit boring but then he can go home and read.

He really loves reading and it always surprises people to see him reading books that are too old for him. Sometimes, he worries his mother will take away his _Harry Potter_books because he's reading them too often, but in a world where he's not really liked by kids at school, he feels a strange connection with Harry. His dearest wish, the one he keeps hushed inside of his heart, is that one day he will be courageous like Harry. Not, like, face evil guys and nearly get killed or anything, but have something extraordinary happen to him. That, or have a friend like Ron. He's not picky, seriously, any of the two would make him happy. In the meantime, he's just really eager for the fifth book to come out so he'll know what happens next.

Blaine notices a lot of cars outside of his grandmother's neighbours' house. He figures they are having a family dinner, like his family sometimes does. Maybe if there are kids his age, he could go meet them. Or maybe he'll just stay inside and read or watch television.

He was reading in his grandmother's living room when he noticed a boy his age standing on the front lawn of the neighbours' house – the Hummels, if Blaine remembers right. Blaine finds his clothing amusing and he really wonders what kind of reason he would have to wear a black suit.

"Poor kid," Blaine's grandmother says, making him jump because he didn't hear her coming in.

"What's wrong with him? Do you know him?" Blaine perks up, sitting on his legs and putting his book aside.

"Blaine," she says, ignoring his questions. "You should go see him. Go."

Blaine shrugs and lets her usher him out of the room. The boy turns his head to look at Blaine when he stops by his side, his eyes wide and the bluest blue Blaine has ever seen. They look sad, but Blaine doesn't think too much of it because maybe he's like that breed of dogs and his eyes always look sad even if he's not.

"Hi, my name's Blaine!" Blaine lets out happily, grinning.

"Kurt," he replies and his voice is weird. Blaine has heard his mother talk like that sometimes, when she's really tired or got in a fight with his father – it's flat and it sounds very sad, and Blaine never thought someone could be sad saying their own name. Sure, Kurt is kind of a weird name for someone his age, but he's heard worse; like, there is a guy in his class named Lancelot so really, there's nothing that can surprise him anymore.

"They are your grandparents?" Blaine asks to fill the silence. Kurt nods but says nothing else. "Sweet. I've never seen you here before. Did you notice there are only old people here? It's hella boring when I come spend a week or two in the summer. Why are you dressed like that?" Blaine's father often says Blaine talks too much. Maybe he's right.

Kurt shrugs, still saying nothing. Blaine tries to find the answer himself. The last time he saw someone his age all dressed in black like that on a Saturday – because if it were Sunday he could blame church, but it's not Sunday – was when his friend Tom had to go to his grandmother's funerals.

"Are you at funerals?" Blaine asks bluntly, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably.

Kurt shrugs again and he lets out a sigh. "Yes."

"I'm sorry—" Blaine pauses. What is it his father says when someone he knows has lost a relative? Oh yeah. "I'm sorry for your loss." Blaine is pretty proud of how grown up he sounds. He puts his hand on Kurt's shoulder and squeezes it, because he can't imagine how much it must suck to lose a grandparent.

Kurt nods. "I'm going back inside. It was nice meeting you, Blaine."

"Same. Hey, if you're here another time and I'm there we should hang out. That would be hella tight!" Blaine tells him, grinning. He's still testing that whole slang thing.

Kurt snorts and rolls his eyes before heading back to the house. Blaine is never, _ever _using slang again.

Kurt finds a quiet corner in his grandparents' house to hide after he comes back inside. The – not good because there is nothing good about it – okay side of his mother dying is that people leave him alone. No one forces him to talk about how he feels or to be nice to people. They let him hide in cupboards under staircases or in his closet for hours on end and they are nice with him, even when he's being a brat.

Kurt smiles for the first time since his mother's accident when he thinks back to that boy with the curly hair and the ridiculous words. Usually Kurt doesn't like boys his age, he finds them all stupid and annoying, but this one seemed okay. In another situation, he might have liked to play with him. He looked like someone who would be fun to play with.

Years later, all he remembers of Blaine is the warm feeling in his chest he had when he first saw him grin at him. It will remain the only good memory he has of that summer, even if the name and the face of the boy has faded from his memory. The memory of that grin will shine in Kurt's mind, reminding him that there is always light, always hope, even when it feels like his entire world has collapsed.

* * *

><p>The second time they meet is during a rough time for Blaine.<p>

His parents are in the middle of a divorce and he keeps being pushed back and forth between the two of them and even the gifts they shower him with are not making up for how terrible he feels.

Blaine is too young to put words on how he feels, but the best definition would be bitter. Everything is making him feel angry and even he knows it's ridiculous, he's only 9, he's not supposed to be like a teenager for another three years. Everything he does is tainted by bitterness, though. He can't seem to shake the feeling that it's his fault his parents are divorcing, that somehow, he did something wrong that other sons did right and it's why their parents are still together. He doesn't even have fun reading anymore because he can't help being jealous of Ron and his awesome family.

That's why he's happy to be spending a few weeks away from them, even if it means being away from his friends. He doesn't have a lot compared to others, but it's better than when he was in first grade. Still, he sort of prefers hanging out with girls, which always makes the other boys laugh at him. He doesn't really care, at least the girls are fun to be around and they can talk about Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears and it's pretty sweet.

Clutching his brand new copy of _Order of the Phoenix _– his present for finishing the year with good grades – he enters his grandmother's house. As soon as he's caught her up on everything that has happened to him and he judges he can freely go read outside, he rushes out, eager to start reading his new book. Setting down in her swing, Blaine opens the book with trembling fingers, immediately devouring the words.

He's not even done with the first chapter when he hears a quiet cough. He looks up and sees a strange looking boy standing in front of him. Blaine looks him up and down, frowning. He's wearing black shorts with fine white stripes, a short-sleeved shirt with buttons and _suspenders and a bow tie_. He completes the look with black Converses, the same Blaine is wearing. That makes Blaine like him immediately.

"Hi, Blaine," the boy says.

"Hi?" he replies hesitantly. "We've met before?" Blaine is pretty sure he would remember if there had been kids in this neighbourhood.

The boy nods and starts digging in the dirt with the tip of his shoe. "I'm Kurt. We met two years ago."

"Kurt! Yes! I remember you! Hi!" Blaine exclaims, closing his book and grinning. Kurt returns the grin and sits next to him.

Blaine doesn't get to read that day. He spends it with Kurt, the two boys talking and talking like they've probably never talked to anyone. Now that he remembers Kurt, the quiet boy in the black suit, Blaine is surprised to see him so talkative and energetic. He never got along so well with anyone before and he feels like he's known Kurt forever. Every time he smiles or laugh at something Blaine says, there's this warm feeling in his chest that he really enjoys.

He's still too young to understand that what he feels is the beginning of a crush, but it explains why Blaine is sad to find out Kurt is only spending a week with his grandparents. It's the first time he truly understands the meaning of the word 'friend' and he already knows he will miss the boy.

The next day, Blaine goes to see _Finding Nemo _with his grandmother and he invites Kurt to join them because he really likes Kurt and not being with Kurt when he could feels kind of ridiculous. Blaine notices Kurt looks sad when they leave the theatre but he doesn't say a thing until they are sitting on swings in the park down the street.

"Is something wrong?" Blaine asks, keeping his feet on the ground and swinging back and forth.

"It's just the movie. It reminded me of me and my dad," Kurt says, shrugging.

Blaine frowns. "But you have a mom, so you're not like Nemo."

Kurt's head snaps up and he's frowning, too. "I don't have a mom."

Blaine's reflex is to answer 'everyone has a mom' but he stops himself. That's when it hits him. The funerals. _Oh_. "Oh. I'm sorry. You didn't tell me."

"I know. It's okay."

Blaine stays silent after that, because there is nothing he can say. He's too young to know how to deal with that. All he knows is that it must feel pretty horrible to not have a mom and that the divorce of his parents pales in comparison. Blaine files this as one more thing he has in common with Kurt; a lousy family life.

It rains for the rest of the week, so the two boys are stuck inside. By the fourth day, they've run out of ideas of things to do; they played too many games of Monopoly to count, played hide and seek until it wasn't fun anymore – and for that game to stop being fun, it means they've played _a lot_, it's totally one of Blaine's favourites – and read aloud almost half of _Order of the Phoenix_. That's how they end up in front of the television in Kurt's grandparents' basement.

"I'm not allowed to watch MTV," Blaine says when Kurt puts it on.

"Are your parents there to forbid you?" Kurt asks, raising an eyebrow and Blaine makes a mental note to learn how to do that.

Blaine grins and shakes his head. They watch in silence for a while, until Kurt perks up and grins before raising the volume. "I love Pink!" he says happily, sitting on his legs and leaning forward, his eyes glued to the screen.

Blaine loves her, too, and he doesn't have her record yet so he's happy to hear a new song by her; he's never heard _Family Portrait_ before. His face falls when he starts listening to the lyrics. By the time it ends, he's frowning and biting his lips, determined not to cry in front of his new friend. It's unfair this song had to _exist_and ruin his day by reminding him of everything he's trying to forget.

"Blaine? Are you okay?" Kurt asks, his voice soft and caring and that is so not helping Blaine.

Blaine shakes his head and waits for Kurt to shut the television before he speaks. "My parents are getting a divorce."

Kurt immediately reaches for his hand, squeezing it. Blaine stares at their entwined hands, liking the warmth and the tightness it causes in his chest. He blushes but he doesn't know why. He knows he shouldn't enjoy holding hands with another boy but he does and that only adds one more weird feeling to the pile of stuff that makes him feel different.

"It's not your fault," Kurt tells him, tightening his grip for a second. "I know you're thinking it."

"How?" Blaine stupidly asks.

Kurt shrugs and bites his lip. "When my mom—had her accident, she was going to the store because I asked her for ice cream and got mad. If I hadn't insisted and started yelling, she'd still be there," he whispers. "And I know it's not entirely my fault, but I still blame myself. So I know you are, too. But it's not your fault."

Blaine blinks furiously so the tears will go away. Crying in front of his friend would really kill him. He doesn't know it yet, but months later, at the worst of the fight between his parents, when he's dragged in court and has to see social workers to decide who has the custody, Kurt's words will resonate in his head, keeping him sane. Even years later, when the memory of the boy has faded away, Blaine will still remind himself that there are things he can't change and it's not his fault.

* * *

><p>The third time they meet, the timing is finally right.<p>

Blaine is running late for the performance The Warblers are giving in the seniors common and he's speeding down the stairs when he hears a quiet voice talking to him.

"Excuse me! Hum, hi, can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

Neither of them remembers the boy they befriended nearly eight years earlier. They will, in time, one quiet evening a year from now when they share memories of their childhood and put the pieces of the puzzle together. Before they do, they'll wonder, quietly and without telling the other, why they get along so well. Blaine will tell Kurt to be courageous, reminding himself of the seven year-old who so wanted to be like Harry Potter or find his Ron Weasley and will think that perhaps he has managed both in the same person.

Separately, at first, but then together, they will marvel at how they've helped each other becoming who they are without knowing it; Blaine by showing Kurt there's always light in the darkest of times – Blaine will argue that Kurt totally learned that in _Harry Potter _– and Kurt by teaching Blaine that sometimes bad things happen without a reason and it's no one's fault.

Learning about how Kurt once force-fed grass to Blaine will make them laugh and then realise that, perhaps, they were meant to be from the start.


End file.
